The Presidential Secretariat refuted reports that the working visit of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to Central Kalimantan was an attempt to stop mass protests in front of the Presidential Palace against the newly adopted and highly controversial Job Creation Legislation.
Jokowi’s trip to Kalimantan had been scheduled for a long time which was stated by Bey Machmudin, the secretariat’s deputy for protocol, press, and media.
Furthermore, Jokowi will inspect the Central Kalimantan food estate, inspecting the production of rice, fish cages and duck farms in the district of Pandih Batu. In the afternoon, in order to administer initial working capital assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the President will travel to the Pulang Pisau regency.
The President is also worried about national food security because, as warned by the FAO [United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization], the pandemic poses a risk of food scarcity.
In this situation, Jokowi discussed only food security concerns, the President wants to closely monitor the development of the food estate. He made no comment about the demonstrations nationwide. Netizens replied with the Twitter hashtag # JokowiKabur (Jokowi Runs Away) to Jokowi ‘s working visit, which was trending on the platform.
However, Demonstrations against the contentious Job Creation Law have been ongoing since Tuesday in Greater Jakarta, following the passage of the law on Monday, earlier than originally expected. In front of the House of Representatives compound and in Pandang Istana Park, located across from Merdeka Palace, students and staff are preparing to stage protests. Syk.
Related Article: https://www.theasianaffairs.com/indonesia/2020/10/07/indonesian-police-versus-protesters-standing-against-omnibus-job-creation-bill/
